Coupling for suction cleaner attachments



March 14, 1967 J. H. BEACH 3,309,113

COUPLING FOR SUCTION CLEANER ATTACHMENTS Filed Feb. 24, 1966 UnitedStates Patent 3,309,113 COUPLING FOR SUCTION CLEANER ATTACIMENTS JusticeH. Beach, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton,Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 529,767 2Claims. (Cl. 2857) The present invention relates to couplings adapted todetachably connect an elongated member to a tubular member on a suctioncleaner casing.

An object of the invention is to telescopically connect a cleaning toolto a tubular member of a cleaner casing by a coupling device having alocking collar on the tubular member and which positions a locking lugon the tool to transmit the propelling forces applied to the cleanercasing directly to the tool without placing a stress on the lockingcollar.

Another object is to provide the foregoing coupling with a split lockingcollar whereby the latter may be spread apart for assembly onto thecasing tubular member.

A further object is to provide a coupling comprising a minimum of partswhich are easily assembled and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a suction cleaner embodying one formof the invention,

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the coupling device,

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the locking collar detached fromthe coupling,

FIGURE 4 is a section along the line 4-4 in FIG- URE 3,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the coupling in locked position, and

FIGURE 6 is a section along the line 6-6 in FIG- URE 2 and is takentransversely of the tubular member on the front wall of the cleanercasing.

The embodiment of the coupling 10 herein disclosed is illustrated inconnection with a surface cleaning tool or nozzle 11 and a tank typesuction cleaner 12 having a propelling handle 13. The cleaner 12comprises an elon gated casing formed in two sections 15 and 16 securedto gether with suitable clamps 17. The casing sections 15 and 16 may beformed of suitable plastic material. The casing section 15 has a frontend wall 18 through which extends a tubular member 19 on the inner end20 of which is suitably mounted a dust bag 21 disposed in the casingsection 15. An elongated member or nozzle tube 2 2 has one end 23telescopically arranged Within the tubular member 19 and its oppositeend is connected to the cleaning tool 11 which engages the surface to becleaned. A conventional motor-fan unit 24 is mounted in the casingsection 16 and provides suction to draw dirt-laden air from the surfacebeing cleaned through the cleaning tool 11 and the tubular inlet member19 into the bag 21 and the air is discharged through a plurality ofoutlets 25 in the casing section 16. The casing section 16 has a rearend wall 26 provided with a tubular member 27 in which the handle 13 issecured to propel the tool 11 forwardly and rearwardly over the surfaceto be cleaned.

The coupling 10 may also be formed of plastic and includes the outer endportion 28 of the casing tubular member 19 which is provided with anexternally facing annular recess 29 having a bottom wall 34} and opposedside walls 31 and 32 the latter defining an entrance to the recess 29. Aslot 34 is provided radially through the tubular member 19 and extendsfrom the extreme end 28 of the member 19 longitudinally of the latterand transverse of the recess 29 to an end wall 36 in the tubular3,309,113 Patented Mar. 14, 1967 member 19 for reception of a lug 37projecting from the elongated tubular member 22, and the lug 37 isspaced inwardly from the free end 23 of the elongated tube 22.

Rotatably mounted in the annular recess 29 is a plastic locking collar39 provided with an inner surface 40, and opposed side wall surfaces 41and 42 the latter slidably engaging respectively the side walls 31 and32 of the annular recess 29, and the inner surface engaging the bottomwall 30 of the recess 29. A groove 43 in the collar 39 extendslongitudinally of the tubular inlet 19 and is defined by an outer wall44 and opposed side walls 4546 the latter walls providing an entrance tothe groove 43.

The groove 43 in the collar 39 provides an entrance to a locking recess48 extending radially outwardly of the inner surface 40 of collar 39 toa wall 49 and from the collar side wall surface 42 to an inwardlyprojecting wall 50 adjacent the other side wall 41 of the collar 39. Thelocking recess 48 extends peripherally along the collar 39 between thepoint 51 and the side wall 46 of the entrance groove 43. The side wall50 of the locking recess 48 projects below the bottom surface 40 of thecollar 39 as indicated at 52 and is movable in a recessed area 53 formedin the bottom wall 30 of the annular recess 29 and such recess 53extends on opposite sides of the slot 34 to stops 54 and 55.

The wall 50 of the collar locking recess 48 is provided with a camsurface 56 extending from the point 51 to the entrance groove 43. Thecam surface 56 inclines in a direction from the point 51 outwardly fromthe cleaner casing and is such that upon clockwise rotation of thecollar 39, as viewed in FIGURE 5, the cam surface 56 is advanced towardthe end wall 36 of the slot 34-. It will be noted the locking lug 37 istapered slightly in the form of an inverted truncated cone and thecooperating surfaces of the cam. 56 and end wall 36 of the slot 34 arecorrespondingly inclined.

The locking collar 39 is split at 57 to provide spaced ends 58 and 59.The collar 39 is assembled in the annular recess 29 by spreading theends 58-59 apart and sliding the collar over the outer end 28 of thetubular member 19 into the recess 29. In order to more easily spread theends 5859 apart the radial thickness of the plastic material forming thecollar 39 is progressively reduced from the midsection 60 at the groove43 to the ends 58-59 as indicated by the lines 61, 62 and 63.

In order to connect the cleaning tool 11 to the cleaner 12 the lockingcollar 39 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIGURE 2 to firstalign the collar groove 43 with the slot 34 in the casing inlet tube 19,whereby the tubular member 22 may be telescoped into the tube 19 withthe free end 23 thereof positioned as shown in FIG- URE 5 and thelocking lug 37 in the slot 34 adjacent the end wall 36.

The collar 39 is then rotated clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 2 and whichcauses the cam wall 56 to close the tube slot 34 and the cam wall 56 toengage the outer surface 64 of the lug 37. Continued rotation of thecollar 39 causes the cam surface 56 to exert a force on the lug 37 in adirection toward the cleaner casing and shifts the tool tube 22 inwardlyof the tubular member 19 until the inner surface 65 of the lug 37 abutsthe end Wall 36 of the tubular member 19 on the cleaner casing end wall18.

Thus the locking lug 37 is anchored between the cam surface 56 on thelocking collar 39 and the wall 36 forming part of the tubular member 19on the casing end wall 18. In addition the opposite side walls 41-42 ofthe locking collar 39 intimately engage the adjacent side Walls 31 and32 of the annular recess 29 which is a part of the tubular member 19 andthus the end wall 18 of the cleaner 12.

When the operator exerts a forward propelling force on the handle 13 tomove the tool 11 over the surface being cleaned, such force istransmitted through the cleaner casing to the front end wall 18, then tothe end wall 36 on the tubular member 19, and then directly to thesurface 65 of the locking lug 37 to the tool 11 without placing anystress on the locking collar 39 and its cam surface 56, or the extremeend 23 of the nozzle tube 22.

When the operator pulls the nozzle 11 rearwardly the force istransmitted through the cleaner 12, its front end wall 18, tubular inletmember 19, thence to the side wall 41 of the locking collar 39 which isin engagement with the side wall 31 of the annular recess 29 to therebysupport the locking collar 39 while the cam surface 56 transmits suchpulling force to the surface 64 of the locking lug 37 and thus to thenozzle 11.

The nozzle 11 is disconnected from the cleaner 12 by rotating thelocking collar 39 counterclockwise as viewed in FIGURE 2 until the end52 on the depending cam Wall 50 abuts the end 54 of the recessed area 53and which indicates the collar 39 is in its unlatched position with thegroove 43 and slot 34 aligned so that the tool tube 22 can be removed.

Although the handle 13 has been shown connected in a conventional mannerto the tubular portion 27 of the casing section end wall 26, thecoupling can be arranged in the tubular portion 27 to removably attachthe handle 13 to the cleaner casing.

The coupling device has been described in relation to a suction cleanercasing however it is obvious it can be employed as a connection for twotelescopically arranged members divorced from a casing.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention itis to be understood that this embodiment is to be taken as illustrativeonly and not in a limiting sense. I do not Wish to be limited to thespecific method and apparatus shown and described but wish to includeall equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of theclaims.

I claim:

1. A coupling adapted for use with a suction cleaner comprising:

(a) a tubular member,

(b) an elongated member telescoped into one end of said tubular member,

(c) an externally facing recess in said tubular member adjacent said oneend,

(d) a locking collar mounted in said recess for rotation in oppositedirections to locked and unlocked positions,

(e) said collar being split longitudinally of said tubular member sothat the ends of said split may be spread apart to telescope said collarover said one end of said tubular member into said recess to assemblesaid collar in the latter,

(f) means defining a slot in said tubular member extending from said oneend thereof into said recess and terminating in an end wall integralwith said tubular member, and arcuate recesses formed in the bottom Wallof said externally facing recess on opposite sides of said slot, saidarcuate recesses having end walls which limit the rotation of saidcollar in both direc tions,

(g) a locking lug on said elongated member movable through said slot andtransversely of said recess into abutting engagement with said end wallon said tubular member during telescopic connection of said members,

(h) means defining a groove in said collar extending longitudinally ofsaid members and adapted to receive said lug when said collar is in itsunlocked position,

(i) a cam surface on said collar depending into said external recess andarranged at one side of said groove adjacent said one end of saidtubular member,

(j) said collar when rotated to its unlocked position having its groovein alignment with said slot for receiving said lug on said elongatedmember and upon rotation of said collar to its locked position said camsurface engaging said lug to effect movement of said elongated memberinwardly of said tubular member with said lug abutting said end wall onsaid tubular member.

2. A coupling as described in claim 1, and said collar being of flexiblematerial and having a transverse thickness which decreases toward saidsplit ends to thereby facilitate spreading said ends apart to assemblesaid collar in said recess.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 343,089 6/1886Symes 285377 525,522 9/1894 Williams 285-362 557,019 3/1896 Paecourt285-362 1,609,566 12/1926 Mayo 285362 2,039,787 5/1936 Fogelstrom 2853772,440,143 4/1948 Hammell 285-7 2,757,966 8/1956 Samiran 285423 3,017,6541/1962 Allenby 2857 3,083,041 3/1963 Owenmark 2857 CARL W. TOMLIN,Primary Examiner. R. GIANG I ORGI, T. F. CALLAGHAN, Examiners,

1. A COUPLING ADAPTED FOR USE WITH A SUCTION CLEANER COMPRISING: (A) ATUBULAR MEMBER, (B) AN ELONGATED MEMBER TELESCOPED INTO ONE END OF SAIDTUBULAR MEMBER, (C) AN EXTERNALLY FACING RECESS IN SAID TUBULAR MEMBERADJACENT SAID ONE END, (D) A LOCKING COLLAR MOUNTED IN SAID RECESS FORROTATION IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS, (E)SAID COLLAR BEING SPLIT LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER SO THATTHE ENDS OF SAID SPLIT MAY BE SPREAD APART TO TELESCOPE SAID COLLAR OVERSAID ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER INTO SAID RECESS TO ASSEMBLED SAIDCOLLAR IN THE LATTER, (F) MEANS DEFINING A SLOT IN SAID TUBULAR MEMBEREXTENDING FROM SAID ONE END THEREOF INTO SAID RECESS AND TERMINATING INAN END WALL INTEGRAL WITH SAID TUBULAR MEMBER, AND ARCUATE RECESSESFORMED IN THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID EXTERNALLY FACING RECESS ON OPPOSITESIDES OF SAID SLOT, SAID ARCUATE RECESSES HAVING END WALLS WHICH LIMITTHE ROTATION OF SAID COLLAR IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, (G) A LOCKING LUG ONSAID ELONGATED MEMBER MOVABLE THROUGH SAID SLOT AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAIDRECESS INTO ABUTTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID END WALL ON SAID TUBULARMEMBER DURING TELESCOPIC CONNECTION OF SAID MEMBERS, (H) MEANS DEFININGA GROOVE IN SAID COLLAR EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID MEMBERS ANDADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID LUG WHEN SAID COLLAR IS IN ITS UNLOCKEDPOSITION, (I) A CAM SURFACE ON SAID COLLAR DEPENDING INTO SAID EXTERNALRECESS AND ARRANGED AT ONE SIDE OF SAID GROOVE ADJACENT SAID ONE END OFSAID TUBULAR MEMBER, (J) SAID COLLAR WHEN ROTATED TO ITS UNLOCKEDPOSITION HAVING ITS GROOVE IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SLOT FOR RECEIVINGSAID LUG ON SAID ELONGATED MEMBER AND UPON ROTATION OF SAID COLLAR TOITS LOCKED POSITION SAID CAM SURFACE ENGAGING SAID LUG TO EFFECTMOVEMENT OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER INWARDLY OF SAID TUBULAR MEMBER WITHSAID LUG ABUTTING SAID END WALL ON SAID TUBULAR MEMBER.